Ashish Ranjan
Karnataka Assembly Election: The Election Commission announced on Wednesday that Karnataka will hold elections for a new government and its 224-member assembly on May 10. The results will be announced on 13 May.
The announcement comes amid a high-stakes political battle between the ruling BJP, the opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular, and the opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular. (JD-S). The BJP, under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, expects to retain power in the state despite allegations of corruption and communal polarization. Additionally, the election will test the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party’s national and state policies.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated at a news conference that the elections were scheduled for a Wednesday, as opposed to a Monday or Friday, to encourage greater voter participation and discourage them from departing town for a long weekend vacation.
In May 2018, Karnataka held its most recent assembly election, which resulted in a divided assembly. With 104 seats, the BJP emerged as the largest party, but fell short of a majority. The Congress and JD-S formed a post-election coalition with 80 and 37 seats, respectively, and Mr. Kumaraswamy was appointed chief minister.
However, in July of 2019, the coalition fell apart after a number of MLAs quit their parties to join the BJP. The BJP then established a government led by BS Yediyurappa. He resigned in July 2021, and Mr. Bommai took his place. The ruling BJP has 121 MLAs in the Karnataka assembly, while the opposition Congress has 70 and its ally JD(S) has 30.
The BJP has been attempting to consolidate its support among the state’s dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, which account for approximately 40 percent of the state’s population. The party has recently increased the reservation for these communities in education and government employment, while eliminating the 4% reservation for Muslims that was implemented by the previous Congress administration.
On the other hand, the Congress has accused the BJP of engaging in communal politics and corruption. If elected, the party has pledged to provide unemployed graduates with 3,000 per month for two years. Additionally, the party has been attempting to appeal to the backward classes, minorities, and Dalits, who make up a significant portion of the electorate.
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In Karnataka politics, the JD-S has played the role of kingmaker. The party has maintained an equidistant position from both the BJP and the Congress, keeping its post-election alliance options open. The party has also prioritized its fundamental issues, which are the welfare of farmers and regional development.
